Dollars in the Sand
by Mikki13
Summary: Chuck and Sarah take their two-year old daughter on a family vacation. Part of the "Full Circle" series.


**A/N: **This one was written for the LJ "Story Lottery" challenge, utilizing the prompt "bay".

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

~*~

The balmy golden sun cast its gentle rays upon the world below, highlighting flocks of lazy seagulls and languid pigeons as the serene Monterey Bay washed upon the sandy shore. Digging her painted toenails into the sand, Sarah lay with her head on her arms and a soft smile tugging at the corners of her lips. In all her days as a spy, she never would have believed she could feel so peaceful. In all her days as a con artist, she never would have believed she could experience something so real.

When had her life become something worth living?

As if on cue, a goofy grin and a pair of affectionate brown eyes flashed within her mind. _Chuck Bartowski. _If someone had told her ten years before that she'd fall for her asset, she would have called them crazy. But even as she shook her head ruefully, she couldn't deny the effect his simple image had upon her. She couldn't deny the rush she felt just from thinking about her loving husband. Pushing herself into a sitting position as she pulled her blue one-piece back into place, she allowed her eyes to rake the beach until they fell upon the man in question.

His forehead creased in thought, his own lanky body clad in nothing more than a pair of swim trunks (which would definitely be making an exit later that night), he was shuffling down the coast and staring at the sandy ground. And directly behind him, stumbling upon tiny toddler legs, a halo of curly brown hair framing her own intense cinnamon eyes, was their little girl. As Sarah watched, she noticed that the child was mimicking her father's every action. Whenever Chuck would pause, Norah would pause. Whenever Chuck would frown, Norah would frown. Whenever Chuck would scoop something off the ground, Norah would fall onto her pudgy bottom and do the same.

A peal of laughter rippled from Sarah's throat, an amused grin flaring across her face. "What are you two doing?" she called, shielding her eyes from the sun.

Whirling in surprise, Chuck arched a brow at his gorgeous wife. She had been sleeping no more than a few minutes before, and the computer nerd had finally decided to occupy himself by doing . . . well, whatever it was that he was doing. (Sarah still hadn't quite figured it out.) "Looking for seashells," he replied easily, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I promised Norah a sand dollar."

"Oh, did you now?" Sarah stated, a gentle twinkle entering her bright blue eyes.

"Sandoll," Norah replied, nodding solemnly.

Grinning hugely, Chuck plucked her up off the ground. "That's right, Peanut," he replied, tickling her belly even as Sarah began to glare. "A sand dollar."

"Chuck Bartowski," Sarah drawled, her glare becoming more pronounced as she came to her feet. "How many times do I have to tell you not to use that nickname?"

"What nickname?" Chuck replied, feigning innocence.

Sarah noticed with concealed pleasure that he couldn't suppress a slight shudder as she began to stalk ever nearer. Even though she hadn't been a spy for almost five years, it appeared that she still had a certain talent. "You know what nickname, Chuck," she replied, drawing even with her husband.

"No idea," Chuck replied, gulping slightly even as he puckered his lips into a quizzical frown.

"Hmm," Sarah murmured, winking at her little girl before turning her pointed gaze upon her husband. "I guess I'll just have to remind you," she stated mischievously.

"You wouldn't dare," Chuck's eyes widened, and he placed Norah back onto the soft earth.

"Wouldn't I?" Sarah smiled coyly. And then, before Chuck even had a chance to register her actions, she snatched Norah's purple bucket from the ground and dashed toward the Bay. She couldn't help but grin in amusement when she heard Chuck's girlish squeal.

"Sarah, wait!" he cried, holding up his hands in surrender as she began to advance toward him with a bucketful of chilly water. "Think about this," he said, backing away when her grin became almost feral. "Is this really what we want to teach our daughter?"

Pausing abruptly, Sarah glanced toward her child. Norah's ruby mouth hung open, her chubby hands were clasped together, and her wide golden eyes followed her mother's every move. "What do you say?" Sarah asked her little girl, gesturing toward the bucket. "Do I want to do this, honey?"

Norah glanced from Sarah to Chuck to the bucket, her gaze finally resting on her mother's own. And in that moment, Sarah saw something she'd only seen a few times before. Her daughter's eyes lit up, her own grin became almost feral, and the ex-spy suddenly felt as if she was looking into a mirror. "Yes!" the child squealed, clapping her hands together. "Do it, Momma!"

Chuckling heartily, Sarah returned a coy gaze to her husband's look of wide-eyed horror. "Sorry, Chuck," she shrugged, "I think this is exactly what I want to teach my daughter." Dashing across the beach, she closed the distance between them, and upended the bucketful of water over Chuck's curly head.

Spluttering as the chilly liquid dripped into his eyes and mouth, Chuck flung his head from side to side in order to shake away the deluge. "Oh, that's it," he muttered, casting mock furious eyes upon his wife even as his daughter continued to clap. "You're going to get it."

"Am I now?" Sarah replied, smirking slightly.

"Oh, yeah," Chuck stated, advancing menacingly toward her.

Sarah had to bite back a grin when she realized that Chuck's menacing walk was more akin to a clumsy, bumbling stroll. Even so, she crossed her arms over her chest and held her ground. "Think about this, Chuck," she repeated his words from earlier, her smirk growing when her daughter's delighted laughter filled her ears. "Is this really something you want to do?"

"Oh, I think this is exactly something I want to do, Sarah," he replied. Scooping her into his arms, he grinned devilishly when she glowered and swatted his shoulder.

"Put me down, Chuck," she ordered, even as he began stumbling toward the shore. "I swear to God, I _will_ make you regret th – Oof." Sarah's words were cut short when Chuck rushed into the icy Bay, the frosty water biting into her skin and causing her breath to hitch in her throat. "Chuck!" she cried, gazing severely at him from the vantage point of his arms.

"Yes, Sarah?" he queried, glancing happily at their little girl, who was giggling on the beach.

"I can't believe you just did that," she said, reaching down to fling some of the icy surf at her husband's face.

"Hmm," Chuck replied, his gaze flickering to her lips. "I can." Tightening his grip around her shivering body, he bent his head and captured her mouth in a warm caress. The water continued to lap at their reddening skin, and the gentle sun did nothing to quell the rising chill, but neither really noticed. Wrapped up in one another's embrace with their daughter crawling along the shore, they fell into each other's kiss as a surge of warmth rushed through their quivering frames. And when they finally broke apart and made it back to shore a minute later, Sarah had to admit that this was one vacation that had definitely been worth taking.


End file.
